My Favorite Travel Gear and Accessories

Traveling can be stressful and crazy, but having the right gear can really change everything up and keep you relaxed and comfortable and ready to go! I’ve traveled a bit in my day – with or without kids and solo with my kids – and I feel like I’ve finally really honed my travel accessories down to a fairly decent list of my favorite things that have become my must-have items.

The Right Bag– The right carryon can make life so easy while traveling. I finally found the perfect bag for traveling and this is the type of bag that I would use whether I was traveling with my kids or not. It carries my wallet and my small cross body bag, a small toiletries bag that I carry my contacts and eyeglasses in, my laptop and a book. My goal when traveling is to be able to have a few things with me that can get me through a long layover or any initial time without my suitcase should I not be carrying it on the plane. When I was traveling from Florida to Virginia I had to check my bag and then it got lost when I had to stay in Miami overnight instead of a layover. Darn crazy East Coast weather! Luckily I had a few things on me that made it a little easier and I only had to pick up a few things from the store before I went to the hotel. This bag from Target is THE bag! It comes in super cute colors and I really love how the backpack straps zip up and can snap up against the purse itself.

The Right Shoes – If you’re not one of those fancy people that get to leave their shoes on, the conundrum of what to wear on your feet to make life easier might have been something you spent time questioning. I really don’t want to spend forever putting my life together after taking all my tech out, my shoes off and heaven forbid they have to open my suitcase or bag more. So, getting shoes that I can take off and on easy makes me so happy. I have three shoes that are my go-to travel shoes for different reasons. If I’m traveling in summer time it’s my Rainbow flip flops hand down. Comfortable, easier to take on and off and require zero work from me! If you’re from California these are like a second skin, if you’re not and have no idea what I’m talking about then do yourself a favor and check them out here. The next two depend on how exactly I’m traveling. If I’m traveling really light and only bringing like two pairs of shoes with me I’m going to go with my slip-on converse. They go with most of my outfits and are easy to plan around for a trip. I can wear them throughout my trip no problem! My other favorite travel shoes are the Adidas Cloudfoam Slip-On Tennis Shoes. I scored these at Costco, but they are the most amazing shoe that when I need more I’ll buy them for non-Costco pricing. I’m wearing them in the photo with the awesome travel bag!

The Right Suitcase – I’ve had many different suitcases over the years and I’ve finally found my most favorite suitcase! It is perfect for a weekend or long weekend trip and you can carry it on the plane with you! My absolute favorite is this American Tourister suitcase carryon spinner. It is my favorite spinner suitcase and is so light and comfortable to use no matter how close I get it to the 50lb mark. It fits super easy into the overhead bin and is easy to roll or push. If you’re looking for a new suitcase check out American Tourister.

If you’re looking for larger suitcases I’m in love with our Samsonite suitcases Samsonite suitcases. Its true what they say, pay for quality once. We had our first set for about 12 yrs before the suitcases finally started to run down. They are still usable for road trips because we don’t take them on the plane. So we splurged and purchased another two-piece set and looking forward to having these for another 10+ years.

The Right Accessories – Everyone needs a few good odds and ends to make their travel safe and easy. My RFID accessories do just that. Your identity is often at risk in this day and age, but I feel like during travel is especially when you can find yourself more at risk. If you aren’t a member of AAA i would suggest it. We’ve been members for a long time and they have a great “store” inside some of their bigger locations. This is where I have found the majority of my RFID travel products. Now you can get creative and provide RFID safety, but also combine it with other smart travel tactics. Travelon has a wide variety of products including my two favorites, the RFID blocking Scarf, which not only provides digital security, it provides a way for you to separate your travel documents and money to be closer to your person which is recommended when traveling. If you are a family traveling together another favorite of mine is the Multi-passport holder, which provides a safe way to carry all of your passports together without bulk. You may not know that your passports should also be in RFID blocking cases now! Visit Travelon and load up on all your travel accessories to keep you safe.

Maximize What You Pack – This is probably one of the best things I’ve learned about traveling. Think outside the box when you are packing. What can you wear for multiple things? Can you dress up a certain shirt or outfit to go from day to evening? Normally I would pack a lot of shoes, but for my last trip taking a bunch of shoes was just eating up space! So I decided to go with one casual sneaker type shoe and a bootie for dressing up but wanted to be able to wear the booties for walking around as well. So, I thought outside the box and went with my low-heeled brown booties and then brought black tights to wear with them and a dress for the evening if it was cold. In my head I was thinking black tights with brown booties? Think outside the box ya’ll!! The same thing goes with other clothing you bring as well, cardigans can dress up a shirt, throw on some jewelry which also doesn’t take up a lot of room. Also, a recent user of Maskara makeup I have totally slimmed down what I pack in that department. I love that, especially for when I am going carry on with my luggage. Maskara is all your make-up, multi-purpose, and in one compact! If you are interested in finding out more check out my girl Jena and she’ll fill you in on all the details!